Paisley biopic underway

According to The Guardian, Belfast playwright Gary Mitchell has been commissioned to write a screenplay about the life of preacher and politician Ian Paisley.

"I think it is a tremendous opportunity to explore and expose the great man and all his vices and all his virtues," said Mitchell, whose plays have dealt with the destructive impact of the troubles on the lives of ordinary people in loyalist communities.

Asked who should take the star role, Mitchell told BBC Radio Ulster: "It's up for grabs. What's important is that it's going to be a major person and one who has the ability to play such an icon."

Mitchell has written for television and film, won the George Devine Award in 2000 for As The Beast Sleeps, and has been writer-in-residence at the National Theatre.